Despite being killed off in Joss Whedon’s AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson returned to head-up Marvel’s AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. show. With speculation rampant as to just how Coulson is seemingly back from the dead, Gregg has been discussing the character’s resurrection with TV Guide.

The actor said, “As a fanboy, I thought, ‘How are they going to do this? They’ve been keeping this for 10 episodes.’ We know that there’s something bogus about the magical place concept. He can’t even say Tahiti without turning into a robot. Is he a robot? How did they bring him back? Is he some kind of Life Model Decoy, as all the Marvel fans think? Is he the Vision? There’s all these theories. How do you do this for real and really pay it off? At the same time, you don’t want them to go, ‘Well, I guess that’s the finale of the show. There’s really no need to continue after this. The bullet was in the chamber, now it’s completely blown.’”

Gregg elaborated, “When I read the script, I was blown away because it’s completely satisfying to me as a fanboy, and, as probably the biggest fanboy in Phil Coulson in the Marvel Universe, because it’s not a tease, it’s: here’s what’s happened! At the same time, what they’ve crafted not only opens up enough questions that are at the existential core of Phil Coulson and his relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., but really set the direction for the back end of the season and the future of the series. I was very, very impressed with what they delivered here.”

When asked about possible ‘Tahiti’ flashbacks, Gregg responded, “I wouldn’t call them flashbacks. That doesn’t seem like a term that does them justice. We know that these people are ruthless. We’ve already seen them kill many people. The one thing this clairvoyant person wants is the one the thing they can’t see. The only thing the clairvoyant doesn’t know is this: there’s a blank spot. They have technology that can reveal those memories, and it’s not a pleasant experience for Coulson. Yet, if he can endure it, there is a possibility that he can get the truth, although to even go down that road endangers all the secrets of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

The main rumours surrounding Coulson’s return have been that he’s either an LMD or will eventually be revealed as the Vision, so it’s good to see Gregg name-drop those particular paths of logic.

How do you think things will pan out for Agent Coulson, and how do you feel about the AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. show in general? Let’s just say, it certainly divides opinion amongst the Starburst crew…

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